Intravascular imaging systems and other intravascular physiology measurement systems are widely used in interventional cardiology as diagnostic tools for a diseased vessel, such as an artery, within the human body. Various sensors may be placed on a catheter and positioned in the body. One type of imaging system is an intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) system. In one example, a phased array IVUS device includes a number of transducers that are passed into a vessel and guided to an area to be imaged. The transducers emit ultrasonic waves in order to create an image of the vessel of interest. The ultrasonic waves are partially reflected by discontinuities arising from tissue structures (such as the various layers of the vessel wall), red blood cells, and other features of interest. Echoes from the reflected waves are received by the transducer and passed along to an IVUS imaging system. The imaging system processes the received ultrasound echoes to produce a cross-sectional image of the vessel where the device is placed.
Intravascular imaging systems are often used to detect arterial occlusions that can be relieved through use of a balloon catheter. A balloon catheter is a type of catheter with a balloon disposed near the tip. The balloon catheter is designed to be inserted into a patient's artery and positioned to a spot where an occlusion was detected through use of an intravascular imaging system. Upon reaching the detected occlusion, the balloon is inflated to compress the material causing the occlusion. In some instances, the balloon catheter is utilized to deploy a stent. In that regard, inflation of the balloon causes the stent to expand and deploy the stent within the vessel.
In some instances, an imaging system may be used to image the site of a stent in effort to observe, based on clinician experience, whether the placement of the stent is adequate. However, such current approaches have not been entirely satisfactory. Accordingly, there remains a need for improved devices, systems, and methods of objectively evaluating risk associated with and likelihood of success for one or more available treatment options for the vessel.